The new Hearst mothership does not resemble 801 Texas Avenue
Apparently the death of newspapers (or at least Hearst ones) has been greatly exaggerated, judging from the organization's fancy new headquarters.
As both Slampo and Banjo Jones pointed out recently, the New York Times referred to the new digs as a Xanadu in Manhattan:
While it is not exactly Xanadu, Hearst Tower is certainly a major upgrade for many of the company's rank and file. With its soaring entry and French Balzac limestone lobby floor, the building sets a Four Seasons tone for a magazine business that rivals have viewed as more of a Sheraton.
"I've always felt that that is not fair," Ms. Black said. "What I do believe is fair is we've been a very profit-driven company forever. But there's a big difference between being profit-driven and being cheap."
Regardless, the company's image seems certain to change. The complex, designed by Norman Foster, features a 168-seat theater with top-end acoustics, a shimmering crystal waterfall, and Café 57, a staff commissary clearly intended to vie with Condé Nast's renowned cafeteria. (In a nod to the past, the company has also rebuilt the Good Housekeeping dining room from the former building.)
The building has a gymnasium with fancy Italian equipment, which both supplies and launders workout clothes for employees. "I have to say that it's a lot more luxe than I expected," said David Granger, the editor of Esquire, whose staff is among 700 employees who have moved in as of last week.
One Dean Singleton makes an appearance in the New York Times story as a beneficiary of a Hearst Corporation seemingly flush with cash. As Slampo points out, Singleton was the key player in shutting down the Houston Post for Hearst, turning Houston into the one-bad-newspaper town it is today.
We wonder what the local Hearst folks at 801 Texas Avenue think of the corporate mothership. Are they envious of the crystal waterfall and the cafeteria? Do they think a podcasting studio is really a substitute for a 168-seat theater on the premises? Do daydreams of a corner corporate Hearst office distract Jeff Cohen from the hard work of putting out a quality newspaper his golf game?
We probably aren't going to get answers to these questions, Hearst being a privately held company and all.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/13/06 10:18 PM | Print |
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